💀 Archers thread #132: The Grim Reaper joined the cast; The Bard of Ambridge breathed his last. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed. We don't all agree on all points and most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you think Shula will make an excellent vicar, or other unusual things.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please! We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the weeknight episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/4197199--The-Archers-spoilers-thread-6-Cant-wait-for-7-02pm-Join-us-here, where spoilers are positively welcomed.

For newer listeners, lurkers or those who just have no idea what we're talking about, @DadDadDad has created this useful thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3557323-For-Archers-fans-a-guide-to-acronyms-on-the-long-running-discussion-threads-and-any-other-meta-thread-questions-you-may-have - BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

Thanks to many of you for title suggestions. @JanglyBeads said that this thread had to be a Bert tribute so needed a rhyming title. From an excellent field, I chose the suggestion from @BorsetshireBanality (who also has a cracking username).

Check out the last thread for the other suggestions and various poetic offerings inspired by Bert Fry's passing. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/4349822--Archers-thread-131-A-time-to-plant-a-time-to-reap-Discuss-The-Archers-here

So, who'll get the bungalow? Rex, Stella, Pip? If Rex has to move, will he doss down beside his pigs at Lower Loxley? Or will Rex be a resident at Her Majesty's pleasure, having bumped off Trevor for being the world's most boring man? Now Freddie's on the case, are Russ's days at LL numbered? Will we ever hear Jill again, or was Bert just the first of many older cast members to be dedded?

Over to you!

I as completely on Fallon's side until she mispronounced the word scones as scoanes after which I decided I just didn't care anymore.

It's not going to be a good look for Bridge Farm ripping up an orchard to bring in a sustainable juice business and presumably lorry loads of fruit being transported from wherever the trees are to Ambridge. Can see massive objections on traffic and noise grounds to any planning application

scoanes. It's scone and for a reason - 's gone

There is a surprising number of orphans or demi-orphans in Ambridge. Lily, Freddy, Daniel Archer, Kath's son, Johnny, Nic's kids, Ruaraidh ...
It will be interesting to see how they cope when they become parents, which is often I believe a trigger for a belated bereavement response for orphaned children.

Also @ButtonSister be aware that any outsider ie not-of-the-Ambridge-blood is not allowed to have much in the way of family elsewhere. Orphans especially welcome. Did Brian spring forth fully formed, for eg? Who knows.

But, yes, Ambridge is quite a dangerous place for parents!

@campion

Also *@ButtonSister* be aware that any outsider ie not-of-the-Ambridge-blood is not allowed to have much in the way of family elsewhere. Orphans especially welcome. Did Brian spring forth fully formed, for eg? Who knows.

But, yes, Ambridge is quite a dangerous place for parents!

Maybe it should be sponsored by a life insurance provider. Borsetshire Widows perhaps?

Boop , boop, boop Mia

And Pat.

Poor Jenny- seems London trip is off.

@TwtiFfrwti, you have a DH problem not a MIL problem.

I'm guessing Emmur will take yet another job in the juice factory and probably end up in several battles with Natasha before she starts running the place.

I enjoyed Natasha telling Pat how things look from her side - they are so keen for her to move and be under the Bridge Farm umbrella / control and they'll even give her the corner of a desk in a shared office but as soon as she looks into what might be a viable space for her to make her business work she gets shouted down and can't make any decisions without the family agreeing to them - I don't like Natasha but Pat's behaviour over the whole moving of the business has been horrible and if I were Natasha I'd be looking at keeping the business where it is and spending more time there and away from Pat and the rest of the family. It's as if they think her business is just some cute little hobby that they are prepared to indulge as long as it doesn't inconvenience them.

That being said I still can't decide if Natasha is seriously looking at moving and how to make it work or if she is just winding everyone up in an attempt to prove a move on their terms won't work. I felt sorry for Fallon but I have never understood how the tea room stays afloat.

Jenny was surprisingly thoughtless cancelling a special order like that. Even if the London trip was off, or may be Ruarhhi has refused to meet up, she should have known that Fallon would be put out. I am sure Brian would enjoy an unexpected slice of Millionaire’s Shortbread with his afternoon tea. I actually don’t believe she would have tried to cancel.

@Roysnewshirt

Jenny was surprisingly thoughtless cancelling a special order like that. Even if the London trip was off, or may be Ruarhhi has refused to meet up, she should have known that Fallon would be put out. I am sure Brian would enjoy an unexpected slice of Millionaire’s Shortbread with his afternoon tea. I actually don’t believe she would have tried to cancel.

I don't believe she wouldn't have made it herself.

Neither can I but even JD could bake ones as delicious as Felon's

Go Mia, give Carrie more lessons in ensuring your own emotional needs are met!
Boop!

The juice factory is neither here nor there - Natasha’s just opened up a massive family discussion (looking at it optimistically….) over how Tom’s always felt overlooked.

(Well it is either here or there, actually!)

I think you were right first time.

Is the orchard which is be cut down the same one over which there was a huge fuss about planting and which was Tom's suggestion egged on by Gnasher?

The tree-planting was in February 2019, so I doubt it would be called the Old Orchard.

@JanglyBeads

Go Mia, give Carrie more lessons in ensuring your own emotional needs are met! Boop!

The juice factory is neither here nor there - Natasha’s just opened up a massive family discussion (looking at it optimistically….) over how Tom’s always felt overlooked.

(Well it is either here or there, actually!)

Tom has always despised and belittled his parents and done exactly as he saw fit, so there was no reason for him ever to have felt overlooked; that was a back-invention by Sean O'Connor. (spit)

I don’t like Natasha but I feel sorry for her. I also think she’s trying (successfully) to prove that although Tom’s family make a great show of wanting to include her business, the reality is they are extremely inflexible and they will only allow her in if she agrees to everything on their terms.

Pat was horrid, ditto Helen with her sneering remark that Natasha doesn’t “understand how our family works”. I think she does and I hope she runs a mile.

and I hope she runs a mile
Just so long as she fucks Tom* over financially, big -time, as she goes.

The irony of Summer Orchard having to chop down a real orchard 🌳🌳

Am I the only listener left standing?

That was a huge improvement.
Tony being kind and sensible.
Mia gets another boop too.
And Adam- Adam at what sounded like his most pretentious, self- obsessed worst- fair pulled the rug out from under me.

Adam did sound more awake than usual, though.

@overthethamesfromyou

The irony of Summer Orchard having to chop down a real orchard 🌳🌳

Yes, I thought that.

I think when Tom was a lot younger, before he was really doing any farming, he did feel overlooked by John, which is hardly a surprise, because a death like that overshadows everything.

Don’t usually post on here but just listening on catch up and am slightly incredulous about Xander requesting all these things for a special day out! Isn’t he only 2 or 3??

Strawberry, we wondered that so much DH actually looked it up. Xander was born in September 2019. Wunderkind!